Expert Guide to Spring Plumbing Maintenance

You may already understand that your heating and cooling equipment needs annual HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) maintenance, but did you know that you also should have an expert perform your annual plumbing maintenance? Chief/Bauer Service Experts offers the Plumbing PLUS™ Maintenance Agreement for Champaign homeowners to help them discover issues before they turn into big problems. While you should definitely call immediately for plumbing problems and plan your plumbing maintenance yearly, here are three ways you can get your home in ideal plumbing shape for spring.

Look at both your faucets and toilets for any leaks. Confirm there is no water dripping out of or around the connections when you shut off your faucets. If there is, swapping out the fixtures or repairing the leak could help better the faucet’s performance and may even save you money on your water bill.

After the faucets, examine any exposed pipes for signs of leaks. You can usually see visible pipes in basements and below sinks. In extreme weather pipes can freeze and crack, so springtime is great to make sure the winter weather didn’t damage anything that could cause plumbing problems.

Check your toilet for any fractures or leaks in the bowl and the tank. If it looks like it’s in good condition, go ahead and add about six drops of food dye into the actual tank. Wait for about 35 minutes and then check the bowl. If the water in the bowl is not colored with the dye, you’re fine. If the color appears in the bowl, you could have a leak and need to call a plumbing expert.

If something foul seems to be drifting up through any of the drains in your home, it could be evidence that plumbing maintenance is necessary. A properly running drain shouldn’t release smells into the air. Verify there are strains placed in all your drains to avoid hair and other remains from spoiling in the pipes and resulting in a clog. Following treatment with a common drain cleaner, pour four quarts of water through drains that are not used regularly. This will fill the trap and help to avoid odors from seeping in and stinking up your home.

Your water heater takes great care of you so ensure you’re returning the favor. Keep in mind that newer water heaters are going to be more energy efficient, so if yours is older than 15 years, it may be about time to purchase a new one in order to ensure you don’t have that sudden burst of cold water for several days. Whether or not you plan on purchasing an upgraded water heater, there are a few things you can do to help keep it running properly.

Verify that the temperature is set no higher than 120°F. This will help reduce your energy usage (and help reduce your bills) while also avoiding scalding. As a safety precaution, you will want to move away any items from around the water heater. Your 12 month Plumbing PLUS Maintenance program includes a water heater maintenance; and it could actually help your water heater operate more efficiently and avoid plumbing problems from happening.

These are just some ways of how to help get your plumbing springtime-ready, but if you are not confident completing any of these tasks, you are welcome to call Chief/Bauer Service Experts and we can come out and conduct your yearly plumbing maintenance and rectify (or help avoid) any plumbing problems.